In 2025, LCF is raising funds to fix degraded parts of trail in the South Coast Wilderness. Millions of people visit the 22,000- acre South Coast Wilderness every year for hiking, mountain biking, bird-watching, and a peaceful break from busy city life. Laguna Canyon Foundation has over a decade of experience caring for the trails in the South Coast Wilderness.
Our projects transform problem areas like these on Cholla Trail…
…Into sustainable, maintainable trails to last for decades.
This year, Laguna Canyon Foundation has identified another trail in need.
Old Emerald Trail runs down a steep, west-facing ridge in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Rain and heavy visitor use combine on steep sections to cause major erosion and habitat loss. This trail needs more than regular maintenance to be sustainable.
The lower 1100 feet of Old Emerald has steep sections with grades up to 27%. Laguna Canyon Foundation plans to install 10 sections of rock armoring to stabilize the tread and allow water to drain off the trail. The project is broken up into 10 work sections, 8 of which still need to be funded. See below for a map of all 10 work sections along with some before and after photos of the sections in progress!
For a more in-depth look into our Trails Program, check out our Story Map!
To view a PDF of the full Old Emerald Project proposal, click here.
